![Six panel colour comic strip in a grid of 3 panels wide by 2 panels high.
The first panel shows a young girl and her mother sitting next to each other on a wooden pew in a church. There is a wooden Christian cross behind them. The young girl is wearing a white collared blouse and knee length black skirt, and the mother is wearing an off-white collared blouse and knee length pink skirt. The mother is leaning in slightly towards her daughter and looking at her, with her hand on her daughter’s left thigh. The young girl is looking up at her mother disgruntledly. The young girl’s legs are parted slightly, whilst her mother’s legs are held together. A speech bubble from the mother reads ‘Girls should always sit with their legs together’.
The second panel shows the same girl, now slightly older and at school. She is wearing a white school shirt, blue tie, and black pleated skirt which ends two-thirds of the way down her thigh. She is standing facing a female school teacher who is wearing a staff lanyard, a grey sweater and a grey skirt that extends below the knee. The teacher is looking down at the girl with her hands on her hips. A speech bubble comes from her and reads ‘Girls should wear skirts below the knee’.
The third panel shows the same girl as an adolescent several years older. She is wearing a short, black bodycon dress which shows a hint of cleavage. Her hand is on her hip, and she is looking at her friend who is wearing a short red dress and leaning over a dressing table. She is looking into a mirror and applying lipstick. A speech bubble from her reads ‘You should really show more skin’
The fourth panel shows the same girl sat in the passenger seat of a car with a young man who looks roughly the same age as her sat in the driver’s seat. She is wearing a black strapless bandeau crop top which is showing some of the girl’s cleavage and midriff. The girl is sat upright and is rolling her eyes frustratedly. The young man is wearing a white t-shirt and is looking over at the girl. A speech bubble comes from him and reads ‘I don’t think you should show that much skin’.
The fifth panel shows the same girl stood in front of a full length mirror with her hands on her hips. She is wearing red lipstick, blue shorts and a low cut black crop top which shows her cleavage and midriff. A speech bubble from her reads ‘This outfit looks great but I should…’
The sixth panel shows the same scene. The girls’ hands remain on her hips, but her head is tilted slightly to one side and she is smiling slightly whilst looking in the mirror. A speech bubble from her reads ‘Wear it. Because it’s my body and I can do what I want’.](https://images.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/ac32265b-290d-4bcc-9797-0c4ca0e65450_Policing+women%27s+clothing.jpg?w=1338&auto=compress%2Cformat&rect=&q=100)
Policing women's clothing. © Sarah Akinterinwa for Wellcome Collection.
About the artist
Sarah Akinterinwa
Sarah Akinterinwa is a Nigerian-British cartoonist and illustrator who regularly contributes to the New Yorker Magazine, and has been featured in the LA Times and the Guardian. She creates humorous cartoons and comics about life, love, and anything that inspires her.